Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by babs »

storewanderer wrote: May 21st, 2019, 9:08 pm
babs wrote: May 21st, 2019, 11:56 am Noticed at the Gateway store in Portland, they moved HBA all in to one caged off section of the store. And you have to buy them all there as you leave the caged off area. Never seen that before at a Fred Meyer. The store was packed with shoppers so it doesn't seem to have impacted sales but man that does send a message that the store has a massive theft problem.
All HBA as in cosmetics, razors, and such? Or does this also include things like toothpaste, hydrogen peroxide, shampoo, etc.?

Wal Mart has these caged areas for cosmetics with a dedicated register in some stores and I just wonder about the concept.

And then when you buy your HBA at the special cash register and they give you that nice big Portland mandated paper bag, it is easy to take that bag and stuff it with more merchandise before you hit the exit. Maybe they can borrow some compliant paper bags from the pharmacy and staple them shut with the purchases made at the special register. This is the type of situation where purchases made at the satellite register need to go into a clear plastic bag so it is clear what is in that bag is what was paid for. But I guess you can't do that in Portland. Maybe they can invent a clear paper bag.
I did not walk through the section, just around it. But I think it included things like OTC meds, cosmetics, etc. I don't think it included stuff like shampoos and soaps. It was at least 3-4 aisles. It was corralled off with shelfs and plexiglass toppers. And there was one register set up at the exit to the area with a sign that said all purchases from this area must be made here. It certainly sends a message that crime is rampant in that store, even more than the separated clothing department does.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by SamSpade »

(sigh) Like their own loss prevention officer that stole $200,000 by obscuring herself while "servicing" the self checkout machines?
https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/03/05/l ... -machines/

This store must really do volume to not end up closed.

I will say I've been there a few times with family and it's pretty well laid out, has friendly staff (even weirdly, bagging clerks at grocery registers), and handled paper bags.

They do have yellow vested employees at exits that can look at you as you exit. They also have one of those camera cop things that are as tall as a light pole that record cars entering/exiting/license plates.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by Super S »

This location is one of only two between I-205 and Gresham in NE Portland. That is a pretty big, and mostly residential, area, and an area not served well by other retailers. Target bailed on their 122nd & Glisan store, and more recently Kmart left, so Fred Meyer likely does enough volume to stick around. They have at least kept the store updated inside, but still, the additional measures here can leave a negative impression when compared to other Fred Meyer stores.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by storewanderer »

In the past I've been to this store a few times and it always seemed to be extremely busy. I wonder if it simply does so much volume that they are having trouble controlling operations.

Maybe Wal Mart would be a better fit for the location and better able to handle the current operational situation. They also have lower value general merchandise than Fred Meyer...

Does the Kohl's in the same shopping center have a bunch of locked up product too?
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by Super S »

I do know that the Kohl's (which is a former Mervyn's) has a walled off entrance on the back (west) side. However, this may have been done at the time Kohl's took over the space as it has been this way for years. It may have, however, been done to keep the store layout similar to the location near Clackamas Town Center, also a former Mervyn's, which I think was built around the same time.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: May 28th, 2019, 1:49 pm I do know that the Kohl's (which is a former Mervyn's) has a walled off entrance on the back (west) side. However, this may have been done at the time Kohl's took over the space as it has been this way for years. It may have, however, been done to keep the store layout similar to the location near Clackamas Town Center, also a former Mervyn's, which I think was built around the same time.
Kohl's operates a former Mervyns in Carson City, NV and they did the same thing there. They walled off the side entrance.

I think Kohl's walled those entrances off also to gain more selling space; in the case of Carson, that is a pretty small store.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: May 28th, 2019, 9:36 pm
Super S wrote: May 28th, 2019, 1:49 pm I do know that the Kohl's (which is a former Mervyn's) has a walled off entrance on the back (west) side. However, this may have been done at the time Kohl's took over the space as it has been this way for years. It may have, however, been done to keep the store layout similar to the location near Clackamas Town Center, also a former Mervyn's, which I think was built around the same time.
Kohl's operates a former Mervyns in Carson City, NV and they did the same thing there. They walled off the side entrance.

I think Kohl's walled those entrances off also to gain more selling space; in the case of Carson, that is a pretty small store.
The Gateway location had three entrances. The walled off one reduced it to two, which matches the layout of Clackamas.
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Re: Fred Meyer attempts to curb shrink "a new way"

Post by Super S »

I noticed an interesting development at the Longview Fred Meyer yesterday, which just completed a major remodel earlier this year. They moved the entire cleaning supplies section to an area next to the cosmetics/HBA department, and moved the pet section to the back wall where the cleaning supplies were. This is permanent because they even repainted the wall and moved signage. An interesting note is that the baby area (which did not move) is also adjacent to the cleaning supplies. These are categories where theft is common in some areas, and it is worth noting that the Walmart down the road has increased the number of security cameras in these categories (where they have several with monitors on them in plain view), although the walled off cosmetics area there never seems to be staffed despite having a register there.

I am not sure if this change was related to theft or if it was something else, but the layout hints at the potential for the area of the store to be walled off in the future.
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